This article was published in Australian Demographic Statistics, June Quarter 2002 (ABS cat. no. 3101.0).

INTRODUCTION

Life expectancy at birth is a well recognised and understood measure of the mortality of a population and is used for assessing trends and differentials in mortality. Life expectancy refers to the average number of additional years a male or female of a given age might expect to live if the age-specific death rates of the given period continued throughout his/her lifetime.

Currently Australia enjoys one of the best life expectancy rates in the world. In 1999-2001 life expectancy at birth was calculated at 77 years for males and 82 years for females. Given that approximately two-thirds of Australia's population live in capital cities, how does the life expectancy in capital cities compare with the life expectancy in the balance of states/territories within Australia?

REGIONAL LIFE EXPECTANCY

Australia's more rural and remote populations tend to have higher mortality rates and consequently lower life expectancy (AIHW, 1998) (Footnote 1) than populations living in either a capital city or urbanised area. Where there is a higher proportion of Indigenous people living in these rural and remote areas there is an additional impact upon mortality rates and life expectancy (AIHW, 1998) (Footnote 1).

In 1999-2001 life expectancy at birth for males and females varied across the regions of Australia by up to 11 years. Male life expectancy at birth was highest in Canberra (79 years) followed by Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Adelaide (each 78 years), while female life expectancy was highest at 83 years in Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Male life expectancy was lowest in the balance of the Northern Territory (68 years) followed by Darwin (74 years) and the balance of Tasmania (76 years). Female life expectancy was lowest in the balance of the Northern Territory (73 years), Darwin (79 years) and the balance of Tasmania (81 years).

Further to the capital city and balance of state/territory breakdown, life expectancies for Statistical Divisions (SD) have also been calculated. SDs that recorded a low life expectancy for both males and females were the Kimberley, which incorporates the Statistical Local Area (SLA) of Broome, and the SD of North-West (Queensland), which includes the SLAs of Mount Isa and Cloncurry. The SDs that experienced lower life expectancy were primarily located in rural and remote areas.

Within the balance of state/territory the more urbanised SDs tended to have the highest life expectancies. Examples of these SDs were Moreton (Queensland), which incorporates the Gold and Sunshine Coasts Statistical Subdivisions (SSD), Richmond-Tweed SD (New South Wales), which includes the SLAs of Ballina and Lismore, and the SD of Barwon (Victoria), which includes the Greater Geelong City Part A SSD and Queenscliffe SLA.(Footnote 1)Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1998. AIHW Cat. No. PHE 6. Health in rural and remote Australia. Canberra: AIHW.

REGIONAL MORTALITY

State and territory Capital city/balance of state Selected Statistical Divisions

Life expectancy
at birth males(a)

Life expectancy
at birth females(a)

years

years

New South Wales

Capital city - Sydney

77.8

82.8

Balance of state

76.3

82.0

Richmond - Tweed

77.2

82.7

Mid-North Coast

76.3

82.2

Far West

74.5

79.7

Total

76.9

82.4

Victoria

Capital city - Melbourne

78.1

82.9

Balance of state

76.6

82.2

Barwon

77.3

82.5

Mallee

76.6

82.0

Western District

75.9

81.9

Total

77.5

82.7

Queensland

Capital city - Brisbane

77.4

82.5

Balance of state

76.7

82.2

Moreton

77.9

83.3

Fitzroy

75.9

81.4

North-West

71.4

78.1

Total

76.9

82.3

South Australia

Capital city - Adelaide

77.5

82.7

Balance of state

76.4

82.1

Outer Adelaide

78.4

82.8

Northern

74.9

81.1

Total

77.0

82.5

Western Australia

Capital city - Perth

78.0

83.2

Balance of state

76.2

82.1

Lower Great Southern

77.3

82.5

South-West

77.8

82.9

Kimberley

69.8

77.7

Total

77.3

82.8

Tasmania

Capital city - Hobart

76.4

81.2

Balance of state

75.6

80.8

Southern

75.9

80.2

Mersey - Lyell

75.4

80.8

Total

76.0

81.2

Northern Territory

Darwin

74.0

79.1

Balance of territory

68.3

73.2

Total

70.8

76.5

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra

78.9

83.0

Total

78.5

82.9

Australia(b)

77.0

82.4

(a) Average annual life expectancy at birth during 1999-2001.

(b) Includes Other Territories.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Further information about regional mortality and deaths in general is available in Deaths, Australia, 2001 (cat. no. 3302.0) released on 10 December 2002.

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